Furore over death of 44-year-old gambling business man allegedly killed by okada riders

The dust raised by the death of a 44-year-old man in gambling business is yet to settle five weeks after he was allegedly killed by some okada (commercial motorcycle) operators. Kunle Adewole a.k.a Computer, was allegedly beaten to death by okada riders in Ijaiye-Ojokoro, Lagos State.

His wife and associates insist his killers were loyalists of a chieftain of the Motorcycle Operators Association of Lagos State (MOALS), one Comrade. But comrade has in turn accused one of his colleagues, one Muraina, of being responsible for Adewole’s death.

As the story goes, Adewole, who had been conducting his business at the park of the motorcycle operators for some time, was said to have been approached on August 2 by a 16-year-old boy who ended up gambling with N8, 000. It was said that when the scale fell off the teenager’s eyes, he demanded for a refund of his money while the deceased reluctantly returned the sum of N2,000 to him.

Not satisfied with the sum returned to him, the boy approached some okada riders in the park to intervene in the matter. The deceased was allegedly summoned by Comrade and was ordered to refund the N8,000 he had collected from the boy. When he would not comply, he was allegedly beaten by some of the okada riders on the orders of Comrade and locked up in one of the MOALS’ offices where he started vomiting uncontrollably.

He was also said to have collapsed several times before he was taken to a nearby private hospital, which referred him to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where he died on August 3.

Adewole’s business partner, Gbenga Bankole, who witnessed the incident, explained that the deceased had complied with the okada riders’ directive and had returned the money he collected from the teenager before he was beaten to death.

He said: “We were together at a corner of the park doing our business when a 16-year-old boy came to gamble with some money. Unfortunately for the boy, he staked the sum of N8,000 and lost. Then he started begging for a refund of his money and, out of compassion, the deceased, who was my senior partner, gave him N2,000, but he was not satisfied.

“We later learnt that the boy had approached the top officials of the MOALS branch at the park. A few minutes later, Computer (Adewole) was summoned by Comrade and he went to see him. After a few hours, he returned with his clothe torn and looked rough. I asked him what happened and he told me that he was asked to refund the boy’s money and that he was beaten mercilessly.

“He had barely finished speaking when he collapsed. After we had revived him, he said he wanted to visit the toilet. He had only taken a few steps when he fell down again. We rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was again revived.

“From there, he was referred to LASUTH where doctors said he would need to undergo surgery because he had suffered internal bleeding as a result of the beating he received in the hands of his attackers. We were asked to raise the sum of N100, 000, but we were still running around to raise the money when he died.

“The matter was reported at the Ojokoro Police Station and some of those who perpetrated the act were arrested but later released. The question is: why should Comrade order his men to beat the deceased when they are not law enforcement operatives? They took the law into their own hands and their action culminated in the death of my partner.”

A source, who asked not to be named, described the incident as shocking, adding that he encouraged the deceased to honour the invitation by the leadership of the okada riders, not knowing that it was “a death warrant.”

He said: “On that day, a teenager went to a stand where the deceased was carrying out his gambling business and he was said to have staked some money and lost. He allegedly asked for a refund of his money and the deceased told me he actually refunded the sum of N2,000 to him but he was not satisfied.

“While the deceased was chatting with me, some members of the okada riders association at the park told him Comrade wanted to see him. He was initially afraid to honour the invitation and even sought my advice. I encouraged him to honour the invitation, and I left to attend to some other things.

“A few minutes later, I learnt that the deceased had been brutally beaten and that he had vomited several times before he was rushed to a private hospital. He was later transferred to Ikeja General Hospital (LASUTH) where h died the following day.

“One of the deceased’s partners called Shadrack reported the incident at the Ojokoro Police Station while he was being beaten at the park but police intervention proved insignificant.”

Speaking with our correspondent, Adewole’s widow, Abosede, said: “My husband was an employee of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC). He was one of those temporarily relieved of their appointments recently, after which he took to private business.

“On August 2, 2012, he left home for work and when he did not return on time, I decided to call some of his partners only to be confronted with the news that he was involved in an accident. I quickly rushed to the scene when he was about to be moved to Ikeja General Hospital.

“There were a lot of people around, and I was told that he was beaten by some boys at the park. Doctors told us that he sustained internal injuries and that the sum of N100, 000 was needed to carry out a surgical operation on him. He, however, died before we could raise the money for his treatment.

“But I became suspicious when the man alleged to have ordered his beating gave us some money while my husband was on hospital bed. His family said they would not press charges against his suspected killers because they do not have the money to file a law suit. He has just been recalled from work and he was due to resume duty before he was killed. He was nicknamed Computer because he was such an intelligent person.”

Responding on the telephone, Comrade denied any complicity in the matter.

He said: “I don’t know who must have told you that I was responsible for the incident. If you must know, I was not around when the incident occurred, and I don’t have a hand in his death. I was told that some boys from an okada park under the control of one Muraina were the ones who allegedly chased the deceased to our park and ran back when some of my members rescued him.

“The same Muraina has been spreading false information about my complicity in the death of Adewole and even wrote a petition to the Zone 2 Police Command, Lagos. I know that his motive is to implicate me so that he can seize the opportunity of my absence to take over my park.

“I have just been released from detention after about five days in police cell. For your information, the matter was reported as a case of assault at the Ojokoro Police Station.”

Asked why he gave the family of the deceased money during some visits he made to him in the hospital, he declined comments. “Why would you ask me such a question? I will not answer your question and I’ll suggest you ask those who gave you the information that I had a hand in Adewole’s death. Besides, I don’t talk to journalists on the phone. I’ll rather see you in person than engage you in phone conversation,” he said.

In an interview with our correspondent, Muraina absolved himself of complicity in Adewole’s death, saying: “I don’t have anything to do with the incident at all. The story is being peddled by Comrade to implicate me because my presence and large followership unsettles him. I have stated my own side of the matter in my explanation to men of the Zone 2 Police Command.

“The deceased couldn’t have been chased to the okada park under Comrade’s control. This is because the deceased had been operating from the park for some time and he was said to have carried out some transactions on the day he was allegedly killed by Comrade’s boys. And what actually compelled me to react was that Comrade, in a bid to exonerate himself, told family members of the deceased and other people in the community that my boys were the ones responsible for Adewole’s death.

“My park is in Ajala area of Ojokoro Local Council Development Area while comrade’s park is the one at Ijaiye where the incident occurred.”

The spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Ms. Ngosi Braide, was yet to respond to enquiries by our correspondent at the time of filing this report.